


Fellow Feeling

by hyrulehobbit



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Bonding, Canon-Typical Violence, Flashbacks, Genyatta - Freeform, I started this ages ago and aimed to finish for genyatta week summer but hey never mind, Intimacy, M/M, Meditation, Memories, Mind Meld, Non-Sexual Intimacy, Past Character Death, Past Violence, Shambali, Trauma, fusion sorta but not really, i got a lot of shambali ocs what can i say, omnic anatomy i guess?, omnic ocs, they're only background characters who show up briefly but i couldn't resist throwing them in
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-12
Updated: 2017-07-12
Packaged: 2018-12-01 10:33:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,675
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11484555
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hyrulehobbit/pseuds/hyrulehobbit
Summary: "Hear what I hear."Zenyatta teaches Genji about omnic mind-melding: a way for omnics to directly connect with one another and share their thoughts, feelings and memories. Despite their physical differences, Genji is determined to try it. Together, they enter a world of their own.





	Fellow Feeling

**Author's Note:**

> This fic was partially inspired by the song Fellow Feeling by Porter Robinson (hence the title, and I even lifted/adapted a few of the lyrics directly into the fic) - [listen to it here!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ardc3nrQMxw)
> 
> I hope you enjoy both the song and my work.

The sun gazed down from a bright and cloudless sky, reflecting off white stone and metal and making the temple look dazzlingly beautiful. It was a welcome change from the usual Nepal weather.

 

Genji and Zenyatta had been down in the local village for the day, and were walking their way back up to the monastery. There was an elderly woman in the village who suffered from aches and pains who was very fond of Zenyatta, so he had gone to provide her with some company and healing for the day. Genji did not have to come along too, but he also enjoyed these visits. He would come to keep her many grandchildren entertained; they enjoyed playing catching games with him to see how fast he could move, and it was a nice opportunity to try and improve his spoken Nepali.

 

"The sun is shining beautifully" Zenyatta's warm tenor came from Genji's right "I feel quite invigorated, don't you, Genji?"

"I agree, Master." he mused, gazing up at the wide azure sky. It almost, _almost_ made him want to remove his visor to feel the warmth of the sun's rays upon his skin.

 

Zenyatta always reminded him in little ways to take a moment to slow down and notice the smaller things in life. The sun glinting off the magnificent metal statues that lined the temple entrance. The shape of the clouds. The sound of melodic chimes ringing in the distance, and the quiet hum of the brothers and sisters going about their daily routines.

It was a small and simple meditational practice, but it helped Genji retain his calm and focus. He was starting to get the hang of actual meditation too, slowly.

 

As they walked, and Genji observed the world around them, he noticed something.

 

In one of the stone alcoves away from the right side of the path, two omnics were sat in meditation, heads bent. Rather than floating as most of the monks did, they were seated firmly on the ground, facing one another with their legs crossed in lotus position.

Genji began to slow down his walk as he observed them.

 

He recognised them as Sister Dristi and Sister Savita. Their foreheads were touching and their left hands appeared to be interlocked. They were meditating, but something was...different. The more Genji noticed, the more curious he became.

Wires leading from the backs of their respective necks had been brought together in their joined hands, and the wires were twisted together like vines. Genji had not seen anything of this nature before. The pair of them were completely still… it was as though they were cut off entirely from the rest of the world.

Genji hadn’t realised that he had come to a complete standstill, and had been staring at the two omnics for quite some time. Zenyatta was quiet, as though he had been patiently waiting for Genji to ask questions.

 

“Master?” Genji breathed quietly.

“Yes, my student?”

“... What are they doing? Are they in meditation?”

“Not quite, though it is a form of meditation, I suppose…” Zenyatta responded slowly “They are performing what we have come to call the _Mana_ _Jaḍāna._ ”

Genji tore his gaze away from the pair to look at his master.

“ _Mana_ _Jaḍāna_?” he echoed, repeating the unfamiliar words.

“Yes.” Zenyatta nodded “It is a melding of the minds, my student. It requires a lot of practice and mutual trust between two omnics. It is the purest and strongest level of connection one can hope to achieve. Look…”

 

Zenyatta gestured to the wires that were entwined in their hands.

“See how they are connected?”

Genji nodded.

“In doing so, they can share thoughts, feelings, sensations, even memories with one another. Sister Savita might be experiencing the warmth of the sun on Sister Dristi’s back. And Dristi may be watching scenes from Savita’s past play out in her mind, as though she had been there to see them for herself.”

 

Genji gasped gently. Sister Dristi was blind; her optics had been irreversibly damaged many years ago. To think that all this was possible, and that she was able to see through her partner’s eyes…

 

“It is beautiful…” he said out loud, just above a whisper.

“Yes.” Zenyatta agreed softly “I think so too.”

 

Genji suddenly looked around, looking around the temple, to the Sisters, and back to Zenyatta.

 

“...Can they hear us?” he asked uncertainly, suddenly very worried that he might disturb them. Zenyatta  chuckled quietly in response and laid a hand on Genji’s shoulder to lead him away.

“I very much doubt it, Genji. They are a million miles away from here, trust me. Come though, let us leave them in peace.”

 

* * *

 

Genji lay awake in his chamber that night, his thoughts racing.

To let someone else into your mind… to hear your thoughts and see the things you have seen…

The thought alone filled Genji with unease.

Was there anyone in the world he could trust that much? To open himself up to completely, letting them see the dark images of his past, the haunting memories that always lay in wait every time he closed his eyes? To feel the self-hatred and confusion that even now still sometimes rose up and threatened to consume him once more?

 

Zenyatta would understand, he thought.

 

Perhaps. He had already told Zenyatta a few things, things about his past and his feelings that nobody else knew. Genji trusted him more than anyone now. Truly, he didn’t think that he had ever been this close with another person before. Zenyatta was always patient, always there to reassure him that the past did not own him or define him. But sometimes he still found it hard to talk about it...about anything. Genji had not exactly been encouraged in his youth to talk about his feelings and emotions. Sometimes he just did not have the words or the strength to describe what he had seen or how he felt.

But maybe...if he could show it instead… would it even be possible? Despite everything, Genji was still human and Zenyatta was an omnic. He did not have the same wiring or programming that they did. But maybe...maybe it wouldn’t hurt to try?

 

Genji blew out the candle by his futon and turned over to sleep, thoroughly resolved. He would ask Zenyatta about it in the morning.

 

* * *

 

“...Yes, Genji?” Zenyatta asked

 

Genji had gone to Zenyatta’s living quarters to propose the idea, and the omnic ‘sat’ floating above a cushion, lacing and unlacing his fingers at he patiently waited for him to finish his sentence.

But Genji was struggling with his words. He almost felt a touch embarrassed, and rubbed the back of his neck in an awkward gesture.

 

“I ah...would like to try...with you. The _mind...melding_?” he switched to Japanese, forgetting what Zenyatta had called it the day before, and it took a moment for the monk to fully understand.

 

“Oh.” Zenyatta said, sounding somewhat surprised. “The _Mana Jaḍāna_? I wonder if it could be possible…”

 

“I was wondering the same thing.” Genji added, moving to kneel on the pillow opposite his master. “I know that I am still human. But much of me is machine, too. Perhaps we could find a way…” Genji shrugged shyly.

 

“Yes…” the omnic responded slowly, tapping his chin as he thought deeply. He then suddenly looked up at Genji, tilting his head in questioning.

 

“Genji, there is a port on the back of your neck is there not?”

Genji’s hand flew instinctively to the base of his skull. His fingers grazed the small opening there, and he was suddenly and vividly reminded of all the times he was hooked up to various machines -  being pumped full of all kinds of chemicals…

He nodded to Zenyatta.

 

“Well then...we will not know unless we try, will we?” Zenyatta said, with a warmth in his voice that conveyed a smile.

 

Genji felt his chest clench. So they were going to try it?

 

“Master…” Genji hesitated “Are you sure you want to do this? If you are not comfortable attempting to do such a thing with me…”

Intimate wasn’t exactly the right word to use, but Zenyatta had explained the level of closeness and trust required -

 

Genji’s thoughts were interrupted by Zenyatta’s hand coming to rest on his shoulder.

 

“I would very much like to try this, Genji. I feel honoured that you approached me, and if we are successful I hope that I can guide you through it. And if we are not, then there was no harm in us trying.”

Genji exhaled and nodded, smiling beneath his visor. He was no longer nervous. In fact, he was a little excited at the prospect.

 

“Yes, Master.”

“Now then.” Zenyatta rose and removed his hand from Genji’s shoulder “I will have to go and fetch a few things. Would you meet me on the northern balcony in half an hour, my student?”

“Of course.”

 

The two of them left the room together and momentarily parted ways. Genji watched Zenyatta go, and took a deep clearing breath. Time to ready his mind for the unknown.

 

* * *

 

“Are you sure you are ready to try this Genji? We can stop at any time if you are not comfortable-”

“No, Master. Please. I want to try this very much.”

Genji had already tried to talk himself out of it on his way to the balcony, but did not want to back down now. Besides, being in Zenyatta’s calming presence was already soothing his nerves. It was just the two of them on the balcony, far from any commotion, and beyond the edge there was nothing but mist and mountains as far as the eye could see.

Genji brought his hand up before his face in a symbol of focus, and slowly descended into a lotus position on the pillow opposite Zenyatta, exhaling his breath.

“I am ready.”

“Good. Then let us begin.”

Zenyatta lowered his head in focus, and the orbs encircling him began to gently chime out a melody; a sound that Genji had come to associate with utmost peace and comfort.

 

_Breathe. Focus. Let your mind be free._

 

There was no way of telling how much time passed as they meditated peacefully together, but eventually the chiming of the orbs quieted and slowed its rhythm before stopping entirely. Almost in unison, the two of them raised their heads and looked at one another and Genji felt a tug of something in his chest. Perhaps excitement or a small jolt of nerves? Whatever it was, he felt ready.

Silently, Zenyatta reached into a small bag he had brought with him, and handed Genji a long black cable. Genji turned it over in his hands; it was a simple power cable, usually used in emergency situations to connect omnics to an external power generator. Genji took initiative and inserted one end into the port in the back of his neck with a strange click. He did not feel any different yet.

“May I?” Zenyatta asked, holding out his hand. Genji nodded, and passed the other end of the cable over to the omnic.

“Don’t worry, you will not feel this.”

Genji was expecting him to run the other end into the base of his skull as Genji had, but what he did next was quite surprising.

 

Reaching into his bag, Zenyatta removed a pocket knife - and cut the metal tip off the end of the cable. Genji was slightly taken aback, and tilted his head in curiosity. Zenyatta continued to cut away the insulating plastic casing, until the copper wires underneath were exposed.

“I will owe the brothers and sisters in the medical wing a new cable.” he said with a slight chuckle.

Genji did not ask questions, instead choosing to observe in quiet curiosity. Zenyatta handed him back the now-frayed end of the cable, and then reached up to the back of his neck. He seemed to flinch ever so slightly as he unhooked something, but he pulled his hand away and a long red wire came with it, it’s ends already exposed and frayed. Genji felt as though he should not be staring, but he could not help it. The more he learned about omnics - about Zenyatta - the more fascinated he became.

“I still do not know for certain if this will work…” Zenyatta stated “...But, we will find out together. Are you ready, Genji?”

Genji swallowed heavily, his mouth going dry, and nodded.

“Yes.”

“Alright. After three, we will bring the exposed wires together. If this works-” he paused “-the sensation may be overwhelming. But I assure you it is nothing to fear.”

Genji shook his head.

“I am not afraid, Master.”

“Very well. On three? One...two...three.”

 

They closed the gap,touched the frayed metal fibres together - and Genji felt like he had received a bolt of electricity directly to his spine.

 

His vision whited, and he heard himself cry out in shock at the sudden tidal wave of information and sensation. It felt like every single one of his nerve endings had been lit up. No sooner had the wires touched together, he retracted his hand instantly and disconnected, gasping.

 

“Genji?”

His vision swam, but the form of Zenyatta reaching out to him with concern slowly came back into focus.

“Genji are you alright?”

 

He took a few deep breaths as he gradually came down from the initial shock.

“Yes...I think so…” he answered at length.

“...Did you feel it?”

Genji nodded.

“I felt...something?”

Zenyatta nodded too.

“So did I. I think perhaps it is working, but I can see that you are shocked. Would you-”

“- I would like to try again. Please. ” Genji interrupted, determined.

 

Zenyatta looked down at the wires in their respective hands for a moment, and then met Genji with a steady gaze.

“Alright Genji, we will try again. As I said before...it will be overwhelming at first. It may even be painful. But you must allow yourself to open up to it and accept it. It is only then that we can truly begin the _Mana Jaḍāna_.”

“What _exactly_ will happen, Master?”

 

Zenyatta paused, tilting his head slightly to the side as he thought.

 

“Hmm,” the Omnic mused, tapping his chin with a metallic clink “It is difficult to describe. It will be as though...we have conjured a place of our own, where only the two of us exist…”

Zenyatta gestured with his hands as he spoke, carefully choosing the right words. Genji was mesmerised. He thought back to Savita and Dristi sitting motionless in the sun, entirely cut off from the world around them. The monk continued:

“...the lines between us will blur, and you may well briefly forget where you end and where I begin. And then… you will see what I see, and hear what I hear. I will share my thoughts, my feelings and my memories with you. And you can choose to do the same with me, if you wish.”

 

“I will try, Master.”

 

The two of them nodded together. Wordlessly, they brought their hands together. Genji felt a flutter of excitement, and suddenly -

 

The wires connected and they were plunged into a world of blinding white light.

 

* * *

 

_“Master?”_

_“Genji? Can you hear me Genji?”_

_“Yes...yes I can hear you. Where are you?”_

_“I am right here, Genji.”_

 

Genji could feel Zenyatta’s presence as though he was incredibly close, and yet he couldn’t pinpoint exactly where he was?

Genji opened his eyes, or at least he thought he did. White fog cleared before him and he saw…

 

Himself.

 

The sensation was so jarring it nearly forced him out of the connection, but Zenyatta’s soothing voice quickly entered his mind.

_“Easy, Genji. It’s alright. Strange, is it not?”_

Genji took a deep breath in and out, and both felt and saw himself nod.

_“Yes, very.”_

After a moment of adjustment, Genji realised he could ‘see’ Zenyatta too. It was bizarre, like he was simultaneously in his own body and within Zenyatta’s, looking at two overlapping images. He let himself relax some more, and as he did, he began to feel more and more sensation.

Alongside his own breathing, he felt the humming and whirring of Zenyatta’s internal systems as though they were his own. It was unlike anything he had ever experienced, and it felt strangely intimate.

 

_“Breathing is… indescribable.”_

 

So Zenyatta was sharing Genji’s sensations too?...What must breathing feel like to one who does not have lungs?

 

 _“Are you alright, Master?”_ Genji ventured, reaching out with his mind.

_“Yes. Very much so.”_

Genji took another moment to breathe deeply. To feel Zenyatta’s very being overlap with his own. His Master was right - Genji was beginning to forget where he ended and where the omnic began. He rolled his neck and shoulders, and felt some resistance in his right - no … Zenyatta’s right shoulder. He remember how his Master had been complaining of slight shoulder discomfort after a recent sparring match of theirs, and Genji felt a smile creep onto his face.

 _“You really should get your shoulder joint seen to, Master.”_ he thought with a sly smile.

Zenyatta began to laugh. Genji did too.

A bubbling, echoing, happy sound that enveloped them within their white space.  Pure joy and warmth flowed from Zenyatta, to Genji and back again, connecting the two of them.

 

This was harmony. Pure, unfiltered harmony.

 

Gradually, the two of them came down from their giddy high. Genji felt fully adjusted to the sensation of the _Mana Jaḍāna_ now, but that did not mean it was any less strange or remarkable. It was unlike anything he had ever known, and yet he knew there was more to come.

_“I would like to try and share a memory with you Genji, if that is alright. Do you feel ready?”_

Genji shifted, focusing on Zenyatta, and he nodded.

_“Yes, Master.”_

 

Genji thought that it would happen slowly, but it was very sudden. The memory washed over him like the tide, and was so clear and vivid in his mind that for a short moment, he fully believed that this memory was his.

The mountain, tall and majestic. Flakes of snow drifted gently downward as he walked higher and higher, hand in hand with … his brother?

 

No?

 

That was when Genji remembered that this was Zenyatta’s memory. This was _Zenyatta’s_ brother, Mondatta. They were holding hands and walking ever higher, and the memory came with a strong sense of happiness, optimism and…hope.

He looked over his shoulder, and behind him a small band of omnics were following. Genji recognised a few of them, only they were wearing civilian clothes and not their usual Shambali robes.

And then, they reached their destination. Mondatta helped his brother up the final step, his metal hand feeling sturdy and strong.

 

Stood before them was the Shambali Temple, but not as Genji knew it. It was decrepit and crumbling in places, windows boarded up with wooden planks. The magnificent floating statues of the meditating omnics that Genji knew so well simply weren’t there.

In the memory, Zenyatta and his brother looked at the temple, then at one another, and laughed happily. _This was to be their new home_.

 

Genji almost gasped audibly.

 

_“The day you found the temple and formed the monastery?”_

_“Yes.”_

 

Genji reeled in awe. To see such a moment as if he were there that day…

 

_“I am honored that you would share such an important memory with me.”_

_“It is one of my strongest and happiest memories. I am glad to share it with you Genji.”_

 

The memory gradually faded out into mist, and they were back in the white space together. Genji basked in the harmonious feeling of being connected with Zenyatta for a moment again, before plucking up the courage to project his thoughts outward once more.

 

“Master, I would like to share one of my memories with you too, but I do not know how.”

“It must be strong. Something you remember very clearly. Do you need a moment to think, my student?”

It took Genji all but a second to make up his mind, and he shook his head.

“No, I think I have one in mind.”

 

He felt Zenyatta express a very small burst of happiness as he nodded. It was something - Genji was coming to realise during this connection - that Zenyatta did very frequently.

He realised it was Zenyatta _smiling_.

 

“When you are ready Genji, call the memory to mind. Try to focus on even the smallest of details, and with any luck, I will see what you see.”

 

Genji smiled in return, lowered his head, took a deep breath...and remembered.

 

* * *

 

A bathroom sink. Warm running water against his scalp. Green smears on white porcelain.

 

He heard Zenyatta gasp quietly, somewhere. The sensation of washing your own hair contained within this memory must feel so foreign to him. It felt foreign to Genji now.

Memory Genji turns off the tap, squeezes the water out of his hair and straightens up to admire his handiwork in the mirror. There’s a bottle of bleach stood next to a tub of hair dye labelled “Toxic Green”, which is certainly an accurate descriptor.

Genji looks at his reflection, running his hand through the wet electric green spikes, and smiles with smug satisfaction. Zenyatta chuckled.

 

_“The first time you dyed your hair?”_

_“Yes.”_

_“I see. You were very handsome, Genji.”_ he commented casually.

 _“Master!”_ Genji laughed in sheer surprise, and he felt Zenyatta shrugging.

 _“Just an observation.”_ he retorted.

Genji laughed again, but with an edge of bitterness.

_“I was vain and self-absorbed.”_

 

They both fell silent then, and watched quietly as the memory continued to play out.

 

Memory Genji reaches to grab a (pristine white) towel and rubs his hair dry, covering it with smudgy green stains before tossing it carelessly onto the floor. Why care to tidy up after himself when the Shimada house staff were there to do it for him?

At that moment, the sound of knocking on the bathroom door echoed through the memory, followed by a voice asking him what on earth was taking so long, and saying that they were going to be late for the family dinner.

Genji felt a lump form in his throat, watching back as his stoic but youthful-faced brother entered the room, long dark hair swept into a neat ponytail.

 

 _“Hanzo?”_ Zenyatta enquired.

_“Yes.”_

 

...And then the shouting began.

 

The dialogue itself did not matter, it was blurry and inaudible in the memory as Genji had long since forgotten the exact words that were said. But the context was clear. Hanzo gesturing furiously at Genji’s hair, to the mess he had caused, yelling and enraged. _What will the elders think?! You knew tonight was an important meeting, you deliberately did this tonight! What is the matter with you?!_

Genji almost felt ill as he retorted, smiling smugly like the cocky little brat he was. God, he was so young here. Hanzo too. Despite the bitterness this memory now brought him, he almost wished he could go back to a time when his worst transgression was dying his hair a ridiculous colour. This Hanzo was the Hanzo he wished to remember.

 

Not like...not like…

 

The memory flickered, paused almost. Hanzo’s face began to twist and change. _No,_ Genji thought. _No no no please not this, not this one._

 

Zenyatta, who had mostly been observing silently, suddenly spoke up in concern.

 

_“Genji? What is wrong?”_

_“I can’t...can’t stop it, please…”_ was all he could manage before the memory shifted into something entirely different.

 

Hanzo’s face was the focal point, and everything seemed to melt and darken around him. He was older now, tired bags sitting under his eyes. Sweat dripped from his brow, his lip was split and nose bleeding heavily from punches that Genji had thrown. The setting was the family dojo in the dead of night.

 

The night that Genji died.

 

Genji felt his panic rising. He knew this would happen. This was exactly what he wanted to prevent Zenyatta from seeing, from feeling...

Like a film that had suddenly been un-paused, the memory sprung to life. Genji raised his sword and Hanzo parried with his own, the sound of clashing metal ringing clear and loud. They struggled for a moment. The memory of aching muscles and stinging pain flooded over him. Genji knew at this point he was already bleeding.

 _No_ , he thought. This has to stop _now_. He - Zenyatta - cannot see this. Genji tried his best to push the memory down, to chase it away and itt crackled and flickered like a corrupted video. Genji could feel the outside world beckoning, he could feel the connection breaking - when Zenyatta spoke again.

 

_“Don’t fight it Genji.”_

 

His voice was so soft. Grounding. Gentle.

 

 _“Zenyatta-”_ Genji choked, using his Master’s name _“-I didn’t want you to see this.”_

_“I know, I know. It is alright. Don’t let fear control you Genji. I am not afraid.”_

_“Are you sure?”_

_“Yes.”_

 

Genji took a deep shuddering breath, and let go.

 

The memory resumed. It had all happened so fast, Genji had not retained much of it. More clashing of katana, dodging and parrying. Genji lunged, and in one strike managed to disarm the sword from Hanzo’s sweaty hands and land a clean cut along his brother’s right shoulder.

Hanzo swore, fumbling for the katana and growling in pain. The memory was suddenly filled with a sense of accomplishment. This was the moment Genji thought it might be over.

Despite his profusely bleeding shoulder, Hanzo rolled backwards - and grabbed his bow and arrows.

He fired and loosed the first one. Genji dodged.

The second one hit, sinking cleanly under his left collarbone, and the pain that came with it was so sharp and visceral that both he and Zenyatta gasped. In the present, Genji could feel his mouth drying out, his heart hammering and his breath fast and shallow. But he was also faintly aware of the fact that he and Zenyatta had been holding hands this entire time. He squeezed it. Zenyatta squeezed back.

Another arrow directly into his knee. Genji crumpled. He could feel the katana slipping from his fingers but in his last attempt to fight back, he raised it as high as he could and called for his dragon.

He knew it was too late though. The second Hanzo realised what he was doing, he too spoke his summoning words as his final arrow was loosed. Genji’s dragon was fast but Hanzo’s were bigger, stronger. They were outnumbered. And they descended upon Genji in a wave of fury as the arrow sank into his stomach.

Zenyatta knew that he did not have flesh and blood. But the sensation of arrows piercing skin, of claws and fangs biting and tearing flesh from bone...it was so vivid and so very _real_ that he cried out in pain, the shared memory crackled and swam and the connection was very nearly severed. Genji, feeling the memory fading and his master slipping away called out to him over the chaos.

 

“ _Master!_ ”

 

“ _Genji…_ ”

 

The dust settled. The memory finally let loose its grip and faded into nothingness, and Genji and Zenyatta were back in the white space once again.

 

Genji could feel his physical form trembling and gasping for breath. Zenyatta too seemed shaken by what they had both just seen.

There was quiet for a moment as they recovered. Genji was uncertain, but he thought that he may be crying. He struggled to project his thoughts out to Zenyatta again, not knowing what to say or how to say it.

 

“ _Master… I am sorry. I did not want you to see - did not wish for you to experience my pain so directly._ ”

“ _You do not have to apologise, my student. I consented to entering the Mana Jaḍāna with you, and accepted all that would come with it. You...experience this flashback often, yes?_ ”

“ _...Yes. All the time._ ” Genji admitted. He had touched on his trauma and flashbacks before in his more personal talks with Zenyatta, but had always tried to turn the conversation around as quickly as possible. But there was no use in avoiding or lying now. Being connected so closely with his master made him want to tell the truth.

“ _Genji, I know that in this moment my words may seem shallow, but please have some faith in me when I say that this pain will not last forever. This ugliness, this cruelty...it will all die out. A day will come when your fear will no longer control you. May I show you something, Genji?_ ”

Genji had been listening to Zenyatta’s every word to focus and calm himself down like he always did. Despite how badly it pained him now, he knew Zenyatta was right.

“ _Of course, Master._ ”

After a second, the white place faded away again, and was replaced with another memory of Zenyatta’s. For Genji, the moment of disorientation was only brief and he very quickly grasped what was going on.

 

This memory took place in some sort of fancy house...no...perhaps an office building, or a hotel? Zenyatta was kneeling, and on the floor before him was a shattered vase lying in fragments. Above him was a human man in a suit, shouting in fury and disgust.

The memory was filled with an overwhelming sense of shame and...fear.

 

“ - You do _not_ talk back to me, you clumsy pile of scrap, do you understand me?!”

 

Memory Zenyatta was trembling, staring at the broken china that he could not fix. He was about to respond to the question when seemingly from nowhere...the human man drew a baseball bat - and swung it at Zenyatta’s head with a resounding _crack._ Everything glitched and crackled around him and pain rang through all of his sensors at once.

 

Genji gasped in utter horror.

 

“ - I said _do you understand me_?”

“Yes Sir. It will not happen again.”

“I should think not. Clean this mess up, omnic.”

 

With that, the man turned and walked away, and Zenyatta began to sweep up the fragments with a dustpan, as though it had never happened, ignoring the awful aching that was ringing throughout his skull.

 

Almost abruptly, the memory ended. Genji did not want it to, he wanted to climb into the memory itself and chase down that _monster_ and-

 

They were back in the white space. Genji’s jaw was clenched, and he spoke his thoughts before Zenyatta could.

 

_“It angers me beyond words that anyone would raise a hand to you, Master.”_

Zenyatta seemed unphased, his entire countenance was as gentle and peaceful as ever.

 _“I know, and you honor me with such words Genji. But what I wanted to show you here was that I too have memories that are troubling and painful. I have made peace with them now, but at the time it hurt me greatly. Genji...you cannot change the past, but it is never too late to change yourself in the present. Do not let it define you. Accept the pain and it will set you free._ ”

_“I want to, Master. I want to be free.”_

He felt Zenyatta smile again, one filled with unconditional compassion.

_“I know. And I will do all that I can to guide you there, if you will let me.”_

_“Yes. I will.”_

_“Then, I think we are ready to wake up now Genji.”_

 

Genji startled. He almost did not want this to be over, to be separated from Zenyatta and back in the real world. But he knew in his heart that this would not be the last time they would perform the _Mana Jaḍāna_ together.

And so, he nodded.

 

_“Yes, I am ready.”_

_“Focus on your physical form, my student, and I will do the rest.”_

 

Genji did as instructed, guiding himself back into his body piece by piece. Slowly and carefully, Zenyatta disconnected their intertwined wires and with that, they were two individual beings again. The sun had still been shining brightly when they had begun their journey, and now it was setting beyond the mountains, painting the sky beautiful pinks and purples. Had they really been connected for so long?

They sat quietly, just looking at one another for what felt like a long time. Genji felt like he was seeing Zenyatta in an entirely new light. Sat before him was a complex, wise, beautiful person who knew Genji better than anyone he had ever let into his life. Genji reached up to remove his visor and rub the mist of tears from his eyes. He thought perhaps that he had been crying the entire time they had been connected.

Upon seeing his tears, Zenyatta tilted his head with gentle concern.

 

“Are you alright, Genji?”

“Yes,” he laughed a little as he wiped the tears away “Yes I am fine.”

His right hand felt strangely empty after holding onto Zenyatta’s for so long. Not thinking anything of it, he reached out and took it again and their fingers laced comfortably together.

“Thank you, Master. Truly.”

Zenyatta looked at their interlocked hands, and then back to Genji. His lights glowed warmly and Genji knew that he was smiling.

“Thank _you_ , my student.”

 

From that moment on, they were forever changed. It is said that once established the bond of the _Mana Jaḍāna_ is never truly undone, and Genji felt this to be true. He and Zenyatta only grew closer with every passing day. Genji was less hesitant, more open, more willing to ask for help when he needed it. And he was right that that first time connection would not be the last. In times of unrest, whenever Genji needed to draw upon Zenyatta’s calm and wisdom, or when Zenyatta needed Genji’s energy and tenacity, they would get lost in their own world and in each other.

 

Until that day Genji had not believed in soulmates, but he was starting to.

**Author's Note:**

> This idea sorta took me by the throat and would not let go until I finished it, so boy am I glad to finally share it with you.
> 
> Trying to describe the mindmeld sensation was very challenging, but I hope you enjoyed this little idea! Mana Jaḍāna is a rough translation of "mind" and "connect" into Nepali, in case anyone was curious! As well as the song I also partly drew inspiration from the way the Na'Vi connect to one another and the world around them from James Cameron's Avatar.
> 
> Anyway, now this is done with I will be back on schedule with my other ongoing works, and I also have a possible multi-chapter Genyatta fic in the pipeline somewhere!
> 
> If you have a moment and enjoy my content, please head over to my [writing page](http://hyrulehobbit.tumblr.com/fics) on tumblr and consider clicking the link to my Ko-Fi page and leaving a donation (I cannot paste a link to my ko-fi directly here due to ao3's terms and conditions). Ko-Fi is like a virtual tip jar for content creators, so if you can spare a penny or two please consider me - I'm still pretty trapped in my overdraft debt and donations would mean the world to me.
> 
> Thank you <3


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